Purple House 5 2023-2024

It may have been a short week, but our learners showed incredible focus and determination as they completed their first STAAR test—what a great start! Thank you for your support in helping them come ready to do their best. With one test behind us and two more to go, we are feeling motivated and excited for all the meaningful learning and fun still ahead as we finish strong in fifth grade. We’ve got this!

With gratitude,
Ms. Voltz

LEE LIFE PRINCIPLE:

Friendship- Caring for; trusting one another

LESSON IN LEADERSHIP:

“Do not save seats in the lunchroom. If someone wants to sit down, let him or her. Do not try to exclude anyone. We are a family, and we must treat one another with respect and kindness.”

LEE QUOTE OF THE WEEK:

“The reason dogs have so many friends is because they wag their tails and not their tongues”- Anonymous

Mark your calendar! Our next virtual PTO Meeting is coming up on Tuesday April 14th, at 6:00 PM. Join us for exciting updates from your PTO and RJL Admin Team.

Link to post Questions : Submit questions for Principal or PTO anonymously before the meeting by visiting rjlpto.org/rjlspeaks

Meeting Link : Will be emailed home Tuesday morning.

West Soccer will be hosting an Elementary School Night at Coppell Middle School West next Thursday from 5:00-6:30pm, and YOU'RE INVITED! This will be a great opportunity for everybody to come have a fun night and get excited about middle school/sports at the next level. All CRE, Lee, and VRE school students will get in FREE, and it'll be fun for the whole family— Here are a few of the fun things you can look forward to! 😊

• Cheering on our awesome soccer team in their first game of the season!
• Getting your face painted by one of our amazing athletes!
• Playing some fun games led by our awesome athletes!
• Scoring some goals on the middle school field during halftime!
• Ordering some delicious snacks and drinks from our concession stand!

Our championship magnet game had learners laughing, thinking, and competing as they reviewed magnetic forces in a fun way. With a playful “May the force be against you!” theme, learners explored attraction, repulsion, and the push and pull of magnetic forces while cheering one another on. It was a great way to strengthen science understanding through strategy, and a little friendly competition!

Our learners are diving into an exciting passion project where they get to explore a famous American, a pivotal moment in American history, or a groundbreaking invention or discovery! From researching and planning to designing and presenting, students are taking ownership of their learning every step of the way. We are especially excited to see how they bring their ideas to life by integrating tools like Reality Composer, Keynote, and Canva—along with creative elements such as models, presentations, quizzes, and even games. We can’t wait to see their innovation, creativity, and deep thinking shine!

Our learners recently took part in a budgeting activity where each group represented a different family unit with its own monthly budget. As they worked through real-life choices, students learned the importance of setting aside money for savings and quickly discovered just how much careful planning a balanced budget requires. They also found that making financial decisions together can sometimes lead to some lively disagreement! Through this experience, learners began thinking about how families may need to adjust their plans when unexpected expenses arise and what smart choices can help them stay on track.

This week, we encourage you to have a real-world conversation with your child about budgeting and what it means to balance a family budget. A budget is simply a plan for how money is earned and spent—and balancing a budget means making sure your expenses don’t exceed your income.

Invite your child into everyday moments like grocery shopping or planning a weekend activity. Talk through questions like: How do we decide what to spend money on? What are needs vs. wants? What happens if we spend too much?

Saving is also an important part of a balanced budget! Help your child understand that setting aside money for the future—whether for something special or unexpected—is just as important as spending wisely. You might even challenge them to help plan a small family purchase while also deciding how much to save.

These conversations help build financial responsibility, decision-making skills, and a deeper understanding of how math connects to real life. 💡

COPPELL ED FOUNDATION RUN TO FUND MAY 3

Join us Saturday, May 2 for the 14th Annual CEF Run to Fund at Andy Brown East! Choose your way to participate:

• 🏅 5K Run

• 👟 1-Mile Family Fun Run

• 😴 Sleep-In & Support

Proceeds will allow CEF to bring innovative teacher support and learning opportunities to all students in CISD. Bonus: $2 from every entry goes directly to the PE department at the CISD school of your choice!

Sign up today and support CISD classrooms! coppellisdef.org/run-to-fund/

Join the fun and serve your community on the PTO Board for the upcoming 2025-26 school year! We have roles that will be a great fit for you, no matter how much or how little time you have to give. Click here for all the details on what to expect, the open positions, and the application form. We’d love you to join us! Applications close May 1st. Please feel free to email PTO, or join us at the virtual PTO meeting on April 14th to learn more and ask any questions!

Check out our STEAM Night Course Catalog HERE so you can plan ahead for the activities you would like to do with your families. Mrs. Shaner will be discussing the activities during our April PTO meeting.

This will be an event you WON'T want to miss!

• The FamiLEE Feud game will be back with ALL NEW content.

• Come build a FamiLEE Future City with Ms. Keiko in the Media Center! Decorate a cup, plant seeds, and add it to the "city" model to bring more greenery.

• We will have a STEAM Night photo opportunity with props created by STEAM Club.

• Cardboard Craft activity. Come give the ChompSaw a try!

• Coding challenges

• Math & Art activities

• Engineering Design, Collaboration and Communication Challenges

• Opportunities for free build with Rigamajig and blocks/planks

We are so excited to invite you to our Spring FamiLEE STEAM NIGHT and Outdoor FamiLEE Picnic on April 23rd. We will have a DJ, food trucks, games, a raffle contest and more! It is sure to be an evening to remember. Please mark your calendars today and plan to join us!

STEAM NIGHT 5:00-7:00pm Backyard Bash 6-8:00pm

Want something fun to do on Saturday, April 18? Join us at Andy Brown Park East for our stations showcasing outdoor learning from our Lee learners.

EVERY KID HEALTHY WEEK IS HERE NEXT WEEK

SCHOOL LIBRARY MONTH

NATIONAL AUTISM AWARENESS MONTH

CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION MONTH

EOY MAP & MCLASS TESTING WINDOW

EOY SUMMATIVE WINDOW

EOY PANORAMA WINDOW OPENS

April 14- Virtual PTO Mtg. (6:00)

April 16- CMSW Feeder Night

Fifth-grade designer of learning experiences at RJ Lee Elementary a Net Zero school in Coppell, Texas.

Our Guiding Purpose: We empower learners to positively impact the world by designing learning experiences that promote relationships, risk-taking, and collaboration in a flexible learning environment.

Apple Teacher

HEB Excellence in Education State Finalist 2018

Twitter X: @MayV1